Break the Fast
by slakalot
Summary: ATF story. Vin's day goes from bad to worse, first someone steals his breakfast then he learns the price of stealing candy from a criminal's store.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fanfiction based on the characters from the CBS television series, The Magnificent Seven.

It's set in the ATF universe.

The story makes a couple of references to events in By These Fists Alone. I always use bad language, so if that offends, proceed with caution.

Reading it back, I can see how dated it is by referring to a role of film needing developing! Yikes, I'm getting old! :( I considered updating it and referring to pics on a memory stick or something, but I thought i'd leave it alone.

BREAK THE FAST

**Friday, 9.00am **

Armando Giorgi sat in his comfortable leather chair, listening patiently to the high-pitched voice that was speaking fast through the speaker of the phone that sat on top of his expensive mahogany desk. His nephew Roberto always panicked before a deal and Armando was well used to his nephew's last minute calls.

Roberto's father was dead, killed many years before in a firebombing that had made headlines around the nation and Armando had always told his brother that he would look after his son should something happen to him. That was how he had become saddled with the well meaning, but stress-prone Roberto, who still needed his constant guidance. He was okay with that though, after all, that's what family was for and he was nothing if not a family man.

"The buyers are coming in any minute and that fucking crazy idiot Johnny has not picked up the film. I do not want him to come here for it while the exchange is going down!"

"Roberto, calm down, calm down. Johnny is coming here to see me first, I asked him to come here. Do you have it there now?"

Roberto looked at the used roll of film in his fingers. "Yes, yes I have it here."

Armando continued in his soothing tone, his accent thick despite having lived many years away from his country of birth. "Good, now find something to put it in, I will tell Johnny what to look for, he can come down to the shop and collect it, but it is very important that he collects it now. I need it right away, this cannot wait."

Roberto looked around the counter and the shelves behind him, eyeing the boxes of chocolates and rows of confectionary items. "Ok, let me see…" He spotted the boxes of jellybeans that he had just set up that day, sitting right on the counter and big enough to house the film easily. "Ok, ok, got it. Tell him to grab the box of jellybeans on his left at the counter. The tropical ones."

Armando rolled his eyes and put a hand to his forehead, willing _himself_ to stay calm now. "This is obvious, this box?" he bit out, wanting to make sure.

"He cannot miss it, it is the one on the left as he walks up. I'll be here anyway to make sure he gets the right one."

Roberto sounded relieved now that he knew Johnny was not going to come walking in wanting the film when his two buyers were there. Fact was, Johnny was unpredictable, crazy, violent, everything that scared the hell out of Roberto. He had not been able to work the man out since the day he had met him two months before. Johhny spoke little English and Roberto thought that was probably for the best, for he didn't make any sense in Italian either, let alone a second language.

"Good, let me know how the meeting goes."

Armando hung up the phone as the man himself, Johnny Catelino, entered his office his tall, lanky frame stretching to the high ceiling. His long, black leather jacket shone in the warm lighting, the twin scars on his cheeks smooth in the light and almost symmetrical down each side of his face. Armando had never asked about those scars and nobody seemed to know where he had gotten them. Some thought he had given them to himself when he had lived in the mountains on his own for an entire year away from his home village when nobody could talk him into going home. Yes, he was a crazy son of a bitch, but an excellent man to have on his side.

"I must get this film to the Senator today," he told the younger man who remained standing, arms hanging down and crossed at the wrists. "I cannot afford to piss off this man. I do not need him falling out of my pocket, you understand?"

"Yes, I will get this thing done."

Armando looked at his cousin for a moment. He often suspected he was not as crazy as he made out to be. Every now and then a keen intelligence shone through. He knew that whatever was on the roll of film would probably discredit the Senator in some way, but he would make enough money from the exchange in giving it back and still have a politician on his payroll. The beauty of it was, the blackmailers had been killed when his boys had gone in to steal the film back from them, but the Senator did not know that. Armando had decided it best he not know until he had the money he was promised safely in his hands.

**10.00am**

Ezra Standish rolled his eyes as he listened to the growling stomach in the passenger seat beside him rumble for all it was worth.

"Honestly, how could you '_forget to eat_'? This is ridiculous," he said, looking again at his watch.

"I didn't forget, I thought I had that chocolate bar in the fridge at the office, but it was gone when I got there… Shoulda known you'd be late…"

"Do not start blaming me for your inability to look after your own care. Even children know to eat when they are hungry."

Vin Tanner winced as another loud growl came from his stomach, fiddling with the silk tie that was seemingly strangling his throat.

"Ok boys, ready?"

Vin sighed in relief at the sound of Chris's voice in his tiny earpiece, one hand already on the passenger door handle of Ezra's Jaguar, where they were both seated outside the small lunch bar run by Roberto Giorgi.

"Born ready."

"Ezra?"

"Most definitely, please let this be over with."

Chris smiled at the agitation in the southerner's voice. He looked at Buck who was grinning widely, scoffing the last of what he assumed was Vin's chocolate bar in the passenger seat next to him.

"That was a bad thing to do, Buck," he chided with a curved upper lip, seeing Vin exit Ezra's car first from up the street where he sat with Buck in his own car, ready to back up his two agents if they needed it. There were police units on standby, waiting in case the deal went through.

Buck screwed up the wrapper and tossed it into the back seat of Chris's car, ignoring the dark look his boss gave him. "I know, but it was there and so was I… I'll get Vin another one on the way back."

"Ezra might kill Vin before they reach the way back." He spoke into his headset again. "Ok, this is it. In and out just like we planned. If he tries to up the price, you're out of there."

Ezra joined Vin on the sidewalk and they entered the small store with a silent shared nod.

Vin's vision was instantly filled with the vast array of food items that all leapt out at him as he entered. The smell of hot, greasy food cooking assailed his senses and made his mouth water. He patted his stomach in longing as they walked directly to the counter where they saw their contact, Roberto, writing in a docket book. They had been working on this deal with Roberto for months, trying to get to the man above him, Armando Giorgi. So far, they had not gotten past this nervous little man, Armando's enthusiastic but edgy nephew.

"Right on time, boys, excellent, excellent. Let's get on with this," Roberto said, closing the book he had been writing in.

"Yes, let's," Ezra said, placing his briefcase of money onto the counter.

Roberto instantly put a hand on top of the case. "Ahh, I didn't get to tell you before you were on your way here… There's been a slight change in the price. The new models were slightly more expensive than the one's I quoted you on…"

Ezra growled inwardly in frustration. The greedy little man was renowned for upping his price at the last minute.

"I don't care if they are more expensive, these are the one's you quoted us on, the price will not change," he told him firmly.

"Sorry, fella's. Best I can do is let the boss know, see if he's willing to go with that."

Vin exchanged a look with Ezra as the small man turned to the phone on the wall behind the counter and picked it up. They had known he would try this move, he did not have the weapons yet, he was stalling them for time until he got them.

"Perhaps_ I _could persuade him to go with the agreed price?" Ezra asked, needing to try although he knew there was no way Roberto would let him talk to his boss, if in fact he even called his boss. Most likely it was just for show.

"The boss does not like to deal with the public."

The _public_… Ezra bit back his sarcastic retort and looked sideways at Vin, who was openly ogling the rows of candy on the counter.

"They put them on counters like that so children can annoy parents as they go to pay." Ezra said with derision.

Vin tugged on Ezra's sleeve, grinning at his unimpressed partner. "Buy me somethin' Ez? Huh, Willya?"

"Focusing there boys?"

Vin and Ezra exchanged quick grins of mock guilt as they heard their leaders voice in their ears.

_Damn_, he was hungry. He eyed the packets of chips and chocolate bars, all causing his mouth to water and his stomach to growl harder. He grinned again as Ezra, giving in to his frustration, snatched up the first thing he saw that was edible and shoved it at him forcefully.

He took the packet of jellybeans with a grin. "Why thanks Ez, didn't know ya cared."

"I care for my own sanity, there ends the extent of it."

Undeterred, Vin popped the lid and held the small box of gourmet jelly beans to his mouth, drinking them all in at once and putting the now empty box neatly back on the counter next to the others.

"_Damn_," he said around exploding cheeks stuffed with the fruity lollies, "these are the best jellybeans I ever ate."

Ezra couldn't help but grin at the sight of his friend's face, puffed out like a squirrel with his cheeks full of nuts. "Throw a starving man a cracker…"

Vin chewed several times, trying to mould the individual candies into a singular ball to swallow. "No, really, they're amazing.. Can't even taste any black ones… Try one."

"No, thank you."

Vin picked up another box and read the back. "Hey, you can mix the flavours together and make little meals out of 'em. Lemon pie… cherry chocolate," he looked up at Ezra with wide eyes, "there's chocolate jellybeans?" He held the packet out to Ezra again. "Seriously, try one -" Swiftly he stuffed the box in his jacket pocket and swallowed the ball in his mouth as Roberto hung up the phone and turned to face them without warning.

"I am sorry, he -" Roberto eyed Vin's slightly guilty look, "are you alright?"

"Fine," Vin said, resisting the urge to swallow the last few beans in his mouth and pry the ones that were stuck from the inside of his teeth.

Roberto gave him one last glance and then continued. "He did not go for it. I am afraid I will need another twenty for this case."

Ezra swore, he had not even dialled the phone as far as he had seen. "That's ridiculous. You think I cannot get them for the price we agreed on from someone else?"

Roberto held his hands up, he knew very well that Armando was the only one with the automatic weapons yet, these men would not find them anywhere else for months. They would buy them from him, at the price he set, sooner or later. "I am sorry, there is nothing I can do, I do not make these decisions," he told them.

"Then let us discuss this with someone who has the power to make decisions, why am I wasting my time with you?" Ezra continued to rant convincingly.

"Please, I will hold your order, but only until tomorrow. You have a talk about it, let me know, ok?"

Ezra looked at Vin who addressed the little man with his customary quiet, ragged voice that always seemed to get command more attention than if he were to yell. "You can stick your order - and your new price."

Roberto smiled smugly, he knew they would be back, "I am sorry to hear that boys. Still, I will hold them a day for you, it is my policy."

"We won't be back for 'em," Vin said as he and Ezra turned to the door.

As they turned the buzzer announced a new customer and they watched as a tall man entered before them, wearing all black attire. They met his cold, dark eyes, his face devoid of expression, scars on both of his cheeks shining in the fluorescent lighting as he passed them.

Roberto saw Johnny enter and scowled at the man he both disliked and feared. "You are late," he told him with false bravado.

Johnny merely looked at him, continuing to watch the two men leave. They crossed the street to their car and got in before he turned his attention to Roberto.

"Well?" he asked the timid man.

Roberto scowled at him and reached for the box of jellybeans, instantly feeling the unexpected emptiness of the packet. He opened it frantically, his heart already racing as he upended it onto the counter… There was nothing. His eyes flew up to meet Johnnies.

"You have lost it?" Johnny asked softly, yet Roberto knew the man never really lost his cool. He did everything with calculated calm. He had heard that Johnny Catelino could kill an entire room full of men while he hummed, a smile never leaving his face. In fact, Roberto had heard it said the only time Johnny ever smiled was when he was killing someone. He himself had never seen so much as a twitch from the thin, cold lips. He guessed he should be thankful for that.

"No! No, its…" Roberto began opening all of the packets, turning jellybeans out onto the counter in a growing panic. When all of the boxes were empty and the counter and floor were littered with the multi-coloured candies, his head flew to look out of the window at the car just now pulling away from the curb…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**11.00am **

Johnny sat rock still behind the wheel of his parked Alfa Romeo. The leather of his jacket slid against the soft moulded leather of his chair as he watched the two men he had been following from Roberto's store getting out of the Jaguar in front of a Chinese take away restaurant. He found the smell of leather intoxicating and his hand idly traced the stitching of his sports steering wheel. His phone rang and his eyes stayed with the men across the street as he answered the call.

"Yes?"

"It's Roberto."

"And?" he said in his monotone voice.

"And I watched the tape from the counter like you asked. The guy in the green shirt took it, put it in his coat pocket. He was eating them, I don't think he has any idea what's in there, least he didn't when he left, he might have opened it by now. Shall I call Armando?"

"I already have. I will keep him updated."

Roberto stared at the disconnected phone in his hand and hung up, scowling and nervous. He grabbed his jacket and keys. Damned if he was going to sit back while that bastard told his uncle he had fucked up. He would face him himself… he needed to assure himself he wasn't about to end up at the bottom of a river somewhere.

Johnny dialled Armando's number again and waited for the call to connect.

"You have it back?" Armando asked, seeing Johnny's number in his display.

"Not yet, I will go after it now. I know which one has it."

"Good, good. Do not fuck this up, I need that back - today."

"Mr Tanner, are you sure you do not wish to try the Japanese up the road?"

Vin leant on the counter as the young girl brought out their order in carry bags. They had called ahead to save time after they had left Roberto's store.

"You know me, Ez. I'd go the raw fish an' seaweed any day, but Chris asked for Chinese, so what can we do?"

Ezra ignored Vin as he handed over the money to the girl at the counter in exchange for the food, knowing full well the Texan would never choose a healthy substitute over fried food.

They left, entering the street again to the sound of a gunning engine and squealing tyres bearing down on them.

Vin reacted quickly, trying to shove Ezra aside only to be shoved equally as hard by the southerner who had reacted in exactly the same way. They had both thought to throw the other out of harms way and in doing so ended up rooted to the spot. They stumbled back as a red four-wheel drive, brand new by the looks of it, careered onto the pavement before them and stopped only inches from running them over.

Vin regained his balance, eyeing the bags of food that were still intact in his firm grip. He glanced at Ezra, who was warily eyeing the woman getting out of the red car. She approached them, putting a shaky hand to her head as she spoke.

"I am so sorry, it's new… I'm not used to the power…"

Vin shook his head at the woman, she looked familiar… He eyed the car again, then looked back at her face.

The woman's eyes widened. Oh my God, the man from the airport last year, she was sure of it. Did he recognise her? No no no. "Well… if you are alright," she stammered, "I will just get going. I'm so sorry," she said again.

"Wait!" Vin said, finally finding his voice and taking pity on her.

She stopped, eyeing him warily. Oh God, did he know it was her? She had run this man down twice now, was fate trying to tell her something? Yes, that she shouldn't operate moving vehicles probably… As he spoke to her in a low, drawling voice, she was surprised by his unexpected concern.

"Are you sure you're alright?"

Blinking at the sincere, handsome face looking down at her and ignoring the people that had stopped to see what the fuss was about, she looked down at the hand he had placed on her arm before she met his incredible blue eyes again. Who was this man that had crossed her path again? Trying to find her voice she watched as his tongue darted out to lick his bottom lip and it was nearly her undoing.

"Yes… yes I'm fine. I'm so sorry. If you're both ok I'll get going now…" Yet she did not move an inch.

Vin smiled down at her, she was blushing and it had nothing to do with being embarrassed that she had run him down… again. He knew it was her. He may have been half conscious the last time she had ploughed into him in her white Honda, but he remembered her face.

"What is going on out here? What's this car doing blocking my door? I am calling the police!"

Vin smiled as the woman before him blinked, the angry voice of the restaurant owner bringing them both back to reality.

"I'm moving, really there's no need for that!" she called to the little man, stamping angrily beside her car.

Vin waited until she had reached the driver's door and opened it before he called out to her. "Have a good day… Tammy."

Tammy's eyes flew up to the smiling man still standing on the sidewalk, her mouth the perfect shape of a small "O" of surprise. He DID know who she was!

Vin watched her slam her door and kept smiling as he watched her drive off.

"Friend of yours?" Ezra asked him, circling his shoulder that had connected with Vin and frowning after the departing car.

"Not yet," Vin said, committing the number plate to his memory.

They returned to the car and got in as Ezra eyed the bags of food Vin placed on the floor before him.

"Lucky you held on to those."

Vin grinned as they pulled away, already ripping into the bag of prawn crackers. "It's about priorities," he said, stuffing a handful of crackers into his mouth, fully aware of Ezra's no eating in the car policy and seeing his friend's knuckles were now white on his steering wheel as he caught site of flying crackers in his peripheral vision.

Ezra forced his eyes dead ahead, forcing back images of the immaculate leather and wood grain finish of his car covered in crackers as they flew from the Texan's mouth in all directions. He flipped the radio on to cover the crunching noises. Priorities, yes. Number one, get the Texan out of his car and call his car detailer.

Johnny scowled as he closed his door and again followed the navy blue Jaguar as it pulled away. He had been half way across the street when the red four-wheel drive had nearly run him down and swerved onto the pavement. For a minute he'd thought the car had hit the two men he had been about to approach, but then he'd seen them both get up and had cursed as the crowd had built around them. Now he was forced to wait again.

**11.30am **

"Looking sharp, Vin. You all ready for tomorrow?"

Vin shovelled another forkful of noodles into his mouth and chewed heartily, sucking in a stray noodle as he looked up at Nathan. Nathan winced at the sight of the spraying sauce that came from the flicking noodle that disappeared into the sharpshooter's mouth. How he had not ruined his shirt yet, he had no idea.

"Tomorrow?" Vin asked, swallowing his mouthful and forking in another.

Nathan Jackson shook his head as he passed a napkin to Vin, indicating he should clean up his face. He walked to the fridge in the small office kitchen and looked inside. "You're going to get heartburn eating like that. Yes, tomorrow, JD's birthday? Barbecue at Chris's after the game?"

Vin put his fork down and looked up at Nathan's back, his mouth open slightly. Suddenly his expression dropped. "Shit, I forgot. I've had my head so far into this case I've forgotten about everything else." He eyed the clock on the wall, "Oh man, Nathan, I'll pay you to go to the mall for me," he looked up with pleading eyes.

Nathan laughed again and glanced at the woeful expression on Vin's face before turning back and pouring himself the last of the orange juice. "Not a chance, Tanner."

"Not a chance of what?" Chris asked, entering the kitchen and heading for the coffee pot.

"Foods here," Vin pointed to the bag on the table.

Nathan turned and drained his glass, smiling at his boss. "Not a chance of me going to the mall for Vin to get JD a present because he forgot."

Chris raised an eyebrow at Vin as he filled the pot to make a fresh brew. "Ouch… You'd better go now, Friday before a long weekend's gotta be a bitch."

Vin's scowl grew, then he smiled up at his best friend, "Ya know, it's right on yer way home…"

Chris turned his back on his crowd-shy friend, he had too much to do to go to the mall. Besides, Vin always left things like this to the last minute, maybe next time he would be more proactive. "Not a chance."

"Ya makin' coffee Chris? Didn't dump the old brew down the sink did ya? Heard the pipes are startin' to corrode from that tar Vin makes in the mornin'."

"Funny, Bucklin," Vin said, putting his head in his hands, trying to work out where he could buy JD a present at this late stage and avoid a trip to the mall.

Buck moved further into the small kitchen, smiling at Vin as he went to the fridge.

"Have fun Vin," Nathan told his dejected friend as he moved past Buck to leave.

Vin growled down at the table, rubbing his hands through his hair in agitation as he looked up at the clock again.

"Problem, Junior?" Buck asked, sniffing a suspect looking carton of milk and turning his head away quickly. "Yeeesh, that's not right," he said, placing the carton back in the fridge and looking for something else to drink.

"Vin forgot to get JD a present," Chris said, leaning with his back to the counter, hands resting on either side of his lean hips as he smiled at Vin's scowling face.

"Junior, when ya gonna learn?" Buck said, finding a bottle of coke in the door and screwing the top off, ear cocked to listen for the expulsion of gas he hoped for, scowling when there was no noise at all. He put the lid back on and shook the bottle vigorously, scowling further when even that failed to create any fizz.

"Help me out, Buck, ya owe me for doin' that stakeout for you last Friday night…"

"Not a chance, buddy. I'd rather wrestle with a rabid grizzly bear with a spear in its ass, or run with the bulls in Spain, or -"

"Alright, alright..."

"He was eyeing off a hockey stick in the new sports store down the mall, you could call ahead, get 'em ta box it up, then all's you'd have to do is dash straight in there, get it and get out, clean."

Vin's expression turned thoughtful, the first glimmer of hope lighting his face. Buck had broken it down like it was a routine mission, made it sound all easy… "They got an entrance from the outside?" he asked hopefully, "I could avoid the interior, get straight to the target direct…"

"Negative, you have to go through the main entrance, right through the main strip."

"_Godamnit_!" Vin tapped the table in frustration, he knew it had sounded too easy. Still, he had a goal now, he wouldn't have to shop around once he was down there, he could go straight in and straight out, head down and charging.

Buck took the lid off a jug of water and sniffed that too. "Jesus Christ, what the hell can go wrong with water?" he asked.

"It absorbs the flavours from the rest of the fridge, which in this unfortunate hovel, means it most likely tastes like decaying pizza…" Ezra saw that Chris was making fresh coffee and smiled from the doorway, that's what he had been after.

"Hey Ez?" Vin started.

"No, Mr Tanner, I will not go to the mall for you," Ezra said, leaving quickly.

"Damn Nathan…"

Chris laughed, "Go, Vin. You could have been there and back by now."

Vin stood suddenly, getting himself psyched, his chair scraping as he got up. "I reckon if I finish that report off, that'll take me through the afternoon, then I can go to the mall just before closing, the crowd'll be thinner, I can go in, collect the package and get out."

Buck chuckled, bending over the sink and drinking straight from the tap.

"What?" Vin asked him, facing his bent back.

Buck stood up, wiping his mouth, still smiling. "Nothin', nothin'… Right before closing, good plan."

Vin scowled as he threw his empty container in the bin and headed for the door.

"By the way, Vin?"

Vin turned back to Chris from the doorway.

"Buck ate your chocolate bar."

As Vin's eyes flew to Buck, Chris laughed at Buck's already backstepping frame. He grabbed his food from the table and left the kitchen. He'd return for the coffee once the show was over. He continued to laugh at the sound of Buck's voice behind him.

"Now, Junior. It wasn't like that… Vin! Ahhh."

Josiah winced as he met Chris outside the kitchen.

"Do I want to go in there?"

"You might wanna send Nathan in," Chris told him, walking to his office, still smiling.

**11.40pm **

"They have entered the Federal building."

Armando went very still. "What do you mean?"

"They parked underneath, put a pass into the gate to get in. They work there I am guessing."

Armando's rage built so rapidly he found it hard to form words. "They are Feds?" he hissed.

Johnny listened with a blank expression as his cousin continued to rant in two languages, covering most of the bad words known to both.

"That fucking idiot Roberto! I knew he would fuck up good one of these days!" He let out a string of curses again and Johnny waited patiently. "Stay on them. I will make some calls. If he finds the film he will need to get it developed to see what's on it. If he leaves, stay on him. I will call you when I get some information from the inside."

Armando looked up as one of his security men entered his office.

"Roberto's here to see you," the man announced.

Armando scowled. "Show him in…"

Johnny settled in to wait. He had no doubts that his cousin could pull strings on the inside, especially if the Senator was behind him. Still, he hated the inaction. He was a hands on type of man, but he would wait. For Armando he would wait.

**2.00pm **

Vin rubbed his eyes, he'd been staring at the screen for two solid hours, he needed a break. He got up and headed for the elevator.

"Get me somethin', Vin?" JD said, looking up from his screen. He knew exactly where Vin was heading, third floor vending machine, they had the best snacks down there.

Pulling his hands from his pockets, Vin frowned as he retrieved the pilfered jellybeans he'd taken from the store and looked at them a moment before tossing the box to JD. "Here ya go, kid, happy birthday."

JD caught the box deftly in his hand and grinned at Buck as Vin left. He hated jellybeans though, so he put them in the drawer of his desk.

"Give 'em to me if ya don't want 'em, kid." Buck said, rubbing his still sore arm. Damn Vin, he hadn't hurt from a Chinese burn like this since he was a kid.

JD grinned. "No way, Buck, never know when I might need a sugar fix."

"That's tight, JD, real tight." Buck complained.

"Like stealing someone's breakfast from the fridge?"

"That's different… and a chocolate bar don't constitute breakfast, I was doin' Vin a favour, right Nate?"

"Leave me out of it." Nathan said, not looking up.

Chris came out of his office, his face scowling and catching their attention as they picked up on his sudden mood change.

"Where's Vin?" he asked, eyeing his friend's empty desk.

"He went downstairs to the vending machine," Buck told him.

"When he gets back, send him in."

"Whats up?"

Chris's frown increased as he spoke. "I don't know, but I just had a call from upstairs. They want to see Vin over something that happened today. Any idea's, Ez?"

Ezra thought about the events during the day then shook his head. "Not a one. There was nothing amiss, nothing unusual… Except when a lady nearly brought about our early demise by mounting the pavement outside of the Chinese restaurant and nearly running us over."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"No, well…" Ezra rotated his shoulder for emphasis, "Except for my own person, that is. My shoulder is -"

"Anyone else?"

Ezra sighed, so little sympathy. It was his lot in life, he supposed. "No, no one else. She drove away to terrorise other helpless victims I can only assume… I do believe Mr Tanner was memorising her number plate out loud on the drive home."

"Cute, huh?" Buck asked, his interest suddenly caught.

"Nothing happened in the shop?" Chris asked, concerned. The Senator's office was involved, bringing the FBI in and wanting to speak with Vin. He could only wonder what that meant, but something had sounded off with the demand. He wanted to know everything he could before he sent Vin up there to those sharks.

"Nothing, except Vin's growling stomach, perhaps it set off a Richter scale down the coast somewhere."

Chris turned back to his office, still frowning. "Make sure he comes straight in."

Vin slid his last coin into the machine and pressed the button of his choice, already bent over to retrieve it by the time it dropped down. As he moved to stand back up he was slammed from the side, hammering forcefully into the machine with a loud thud. Quickly he turned to the threat that had taken him by surprise. He had not expected anything like that to happen right there in the building and still wasn't sure if it was friend or foe. As the solid blow connected with his jaw, rocking his head back into the vending machine, he knew it was no friend that was attacking him.

Reeling from the unexpected hit, Vin quickly ground his feet, moving his right foot back and kicking out at the man who was coming at him fiercely. As the man flew backwards this time, Vin saw it was a security guard and struggled to make sense of why he was attacking him.

"What the hell - "

Again the man came at him, swinging out with the baton he had clipped to his belt. Vin leant back, avoiding the blow to his chest and swinging out with a right punch that collected the man in the mouth, splitting his lip.

"What the hell's going on here?" came a shout from up the hallway and Vin, momentarily distracted, was unprepared for the fist that smashed into his nose.

Ignoring the blood that instantly began to flow he ducked down, ramming himself forward and barrelling into the security man's chest, driving him backwards until he met with the opposite wall and then he threw up his arm, pinning the larger man's neck to the wall with his forearm, driving his knee into his stomach twice before he stepped back and brought his fist squarely into his face, ending the fight as quickly as it had begun.

Stepping back and letting the man drop to the ground, Vin held his pouring nose, the blood flowing through his fingers to soak into his shirt. He had not changed from the meeting that morning with Ezra and regretted it now as he eyed the light olive material that was now turning crimson down his chest.

"What's going on here?" came the question again, closer this time.

Vin looked at the ATF Captain of Team Four and then back down at the unconscious man at his feet.

"I have no idea."

Ted Wilson looked at the agent from Larabee's team who was holding a hand to his bleeding face, studying the man lying at his feet. He had worked with him many times before and respected both he and the rest of Team Seven.

"You alright kid?"

Vin looked up at the Captain and nodded. "Yeah, I better call Larabee."

"You'd better get something to stop that blood, too. I'll alert security."

Vin nodded, heading for the phone at the floors reception counter by the elevators.

"Here," a secretary said to him as he approached, handing him a towel from the kitchen. She had seen the commotion and run to grab something for the blood she'd seen pouring from the young Agent's face.

Vin nodded gratefully and held the white towel to his face. "Thanks," was his muffled reply through the material. "Chris," he said as his friend picked up his phone a moment later.

"Vin?"

"Yeah -"

"Where are you? The feds are looking for you… Fuck I think the whole damn building is looking for you."

"I think they found me. I just got jumped by a security guard down here on the third. What the hell's goin' on?"

"_Jumped_? A security guard _jumped_ you?"

"Don't think it's a real security guard, Wilson's down here trying to sort it out, you might wanna come down."

Still frowning Chris said he'd be right down and hung up.

Vin handed the phone back to the young woman who smiled at him shyly before he headed back to find Wilson.

"He's still out," Wilson informed him as he returned. He smiled then, "That was some punch."

Vin sat down against the vending machine, leaning his back against its illuminated front and tilting his head forward slightly, pinching the ends of his nose to try and stop the bleeding. "This day just keeps gettin' better'n better," he muttered through the cloth over his face.

"Any idea what he wanted?" Wilson asked Vin, bending over the security guard.

"Not a clue."

Wilson studied the man's ID badge. "Well, I've met Brian Withers and this guy ain't him."

"What the fuck happened?"

Both men turned to the sound of Chris Larabee's angry voice heading towards them from the elevator. Nathan and Buck were right beside him. Chris hadn't expected to see Vin covered in blood when he'd said he'd been 'jumped'.

Wilson turned first to address the security agents that had walked up from the opposite direction at the same time. "We need to find Brian Withers, this man had his identification on him, possibly his uniform."

Chris bent down to Vin, one ear listening to Wilson. "You ok?"

Vin took the material away and looked up, testing to see if the blood had stopped pouring from his nose. It seemed to be holding. "Yeah… bastard got me while I was bent over the snack machine. What kinda man jumps someone who's gettin' a snack from a machine? Think God's tryin'a tell me I can't eat chocolate no more?"

"Or that maybe you should get a good breakfast in the morning," Nathan said, moving forward.

"Yep, that's bad form alright, he coulda waited," Buck said, smiling a little but his face was serious as he took in Vin's already bruised nose and the blood that had stained his face and shirt. He pointed at Vin's nose, "It's still going."

Vin put his hand to his nose and again felt the warm blood flowing over his lip. He could taste its coppery trail trickling down the back of his throat.

"Hey look, there's a chocolate bar right here," Buck said, bending over and retrieving the bar from the machine's slot.

Vin said nothing, just held his hand out for Buck to give it to him, shoving it in his pocket when he felt it in his bloody hand.

"He get you anywhere else?" Nathan asked.

Vin took the towel away again and tested his jaw, moving it from side to side, "Just my jaw… sonofabitch…"

Nathan moved away and Chris took another look at the already darkening area around Vin's jaw and the blood that coated his face and shirt and scowled back at the unconscious man as Wilson walked back up to them.

"Larabee," Wilson addressed him as the blonde captain stood to face him.

"You see this happen?" Chris asked, as always straight to the point.

"Just the tail end. This guy stole a security agents badge and uniform it looks like. They're looking for the real Withers now."

Nathan returned then with a wet cloth and pushed Vin's head forward, placing the cool material on the back of his neck.

Chris looked back down at Vin. "He say anything to you?"

Vin took the towel away again from his face. "Nothin'. Just came chargin' at me."

Chris shook his head, "What the hell did you get up to today?"

Nathan, squatting beside Vin, grabbed the hand holding the bloodied towel and directed it back to the still pouring nose.

"Reckon I shoulda stayed in bed," Vin said through the cloth once more.

"Lets get him back upstairs, they can come up there and sort this out," Nathan said, grabbing Vin's elbow.

Chris helped Vin up from the floor, "I'll meet you up there when I'm done." He nodded to Buck, "Go with him, watch his back, something's not right here."

Buck nodded and followed after Nathan and Vin.

**2.30pm **

"Are you still out the front?"

"Yes, did you find out anything?" Johnny asked Armando as he held his cell phone to his ear.

"They missed a chance a moment ago. His name is Vin Tanner. He is an ATF agent. He must still have the film in his pocket, he has not handed it over to anyone that we can tell. He will be searched in a moment."

"Shall I wait?"

"Yes, let's see if they find it on him. If not, you will have to question him once he leaves the building."

"Alright, I will wait then."

Armando hung up and looked again at his nephew, tied to a chair before him, still crying from the beating he had been given by Armando's bodyguards. He had no problem disciplining his young relative. Anybody who worked for him must pay the price for stupidity.

**2.45pm **

Vin heard the door open and opened his eyes as Chris entered with two FBI agents behind him. He sat up slowly from the low couch in Chris's office, placing the now melted ice pack on the coffee table beside his ruined, discarded tie as he looked up at them.

Nathan had checked his nose, although Vin had already known that it wasn't broken. It was just a hell punch that had caused one major nosebleed that had lasted for some time, despite their best efforts to stop it. Vin could still feel it threatening to flow and hoped there was nothing damaged that he would need to get fixed.

Chris eyed Vin's bruised face and lifted his chin slightly in question, to which Vin nodded slightly that he was all right.

"Vin, this is Agent Byford and Agent Waterman from the FBI. Gentlemen this is Agent Tanner. They've been looking for you, they want to ask you a few questions," he told Vin.

Vin eyed the two agents warily. "About…?"

Agent Byford looked at his colleague and spoke directly to Chris.

"We would like to speak to Agent Tanner alone. Preferably back in our office."

Chris held the arrogant gaze. "I'd like to know what the hell is going on with my Agent, this is as good a place as any to find out."

Agent Waterman spoke up. "That is of a confidential nature, Captain Larabee. I'm afraid we do not have clearance to tell you at this point."

Chris stepped forward, angry as hell. "No clearance my ass, Waterman. What the fuck is going on here and how is Agent Tanner involved?"

Waterman looked at the glaring Captain bearing down on him and then back at his partner who gave a slight nod.

"Agent Tanner, this morning when you were on the premises of Roberto Giorgi, did you remove anything that you may not have included in your report?"

Vin frowned, clearly thrown. "What?"

Byford reiterated. "Did you take anything from the store that no one may know about?"

Vin thought about that. The jellybeans? Surely this was not about a packet of _jellybeans_? He glanced at Chris, then back at the agents. "Jellybeans? You're after me for a packet of _jellybeans_? A bit extreme don't ya think? You could've just asked me to hand 'em back."

"Where is the packet now?"

Vin frowned and flicked his eyes from one agent to the other, his body still. Something was not right here. All of this for a packet of candy… Something was telling him not to hand it over to them. "I ate them."

Waterman looked at Byford then back at Vin. "You ate them?"

"Yeah, you know, stuck 'em in my mouth, chewed fer a bit, swallowed…?"

Waterman took a step forward. "You think this is funny Agent Tanner?"

Vin's face grew hard and he fingered his jaw lightly. "No, I don't… What the hell was that guy doin' dressed as security? One of your boys?"

"We are not at liberty to say -"

Vin hopped up swiftly and took a menacing step forward. "Fuck off you're not. I get jumped in my own building over a packet of pilfered candy and you tell me I have no right to know why?"

"Vin," Chris said, seeing Vin was getting irate, fast.

Vin turned to Chris, "These guys know exactly what the fuck is goin' on here, we're supposed to be on the same God damned side and these motherfuckers think they can just brush me off with their bullshit?" Vin turned back to Waterman who was the closest to him, sending a glare to both of the agents. He looked dangerous, his eyes glittering in the light and blood still staining his shirt. "Well I ain't playin' this game. Unless you want to tell me what the hell this is really about, I'll be gettin' on with solvin' some real crimes."

He made to head for the door when Byford's voice stopped him.

"There was a roll of film in that package."

Vin turned, looked at Chris quickly before he rose an eyebrow to the agent. "And…?"

Byford sighed. "And it contained evidence against a man we have been after for some time. The roll went missing yesterday and we have been searching for it since."

Vin's face was unreadable. "And how did you know where it was?"

"We had a good idea who took it. We tracked it to Roberto's store, our man was supposed to pick it up, but you got to it first."

Vin continued to watch the man's face. The story was not completely implausible, but something still felt off.

"Well the packet I took had nothing but candy inside, so you'd best go back and check the rest at the store."

Waterman took another step towards Vin. "We know you still have it, Agent Tanner and we know that you have the one with the film inside."

"And how would you know that?" Chris demanded. "Are you saying Agent Tanner is lying?"

"We have evidence which tells us that -"

"Fuck your evidence. I ate the God dammed jellybeans, threw the packet in a trashcan. If you wanna go look for the packet its about halfway up Third Ave in a side bin." Vin left the office, having spoken loud enough that he was sure JD heard him, pausing as he heard the warning behind him before moving on without answering.

"This is not finished with, Agent Tanner."

Vin exchanged a meaningful glance with JD as he past him on his way to his desk, satisfied when he saw the younger man nod to him in understanding. He'd heard the end of the conversation, had absolutely no idea why a packet of jellybeans would be the focus of an enquiry, but knew whatever else he did, he would say nothing about them sitting in his drawer.

Chris escorted the two Agents back out to the elevators and went back to the outer office. He looked directly at Vin who was unbuttoning his ruined shirt at his desk.

"Tanner, what the _fuck_ is going on?"

Vin pulled the shirt, hardened from the dried blood, away from his skin and threw it onto his desk, reaching for the clean dark grey t-shirt he had stolen from Chris's office a moment ago.

"Those bastards always stick to their own ranks," he said, gathering up the t-shirt and putting his arms up to pull it on over his head, the defined muscles in his lean stomach rippling with the movement. He was careful not to hit his bruised nose as he pulled it on.

Chris frowned at the t-shirt Vin was now wearing, his suspicion confirmed when Vin gave him a satisfied grin as he shouldered his holster and slipped his gun inside.

"Do I look like a clothing store to you?" He said, knowing there was no point as Vin moved around to JD's desk.

JD knew what Vin was after and opened his top drawer, giving him access to the packet that was the focus of so much attention.

Vin reached over and took the packet as Chris joined him and the rest of the team moved over to see what had caused such a fuss.

"Someone watch the door," Chris said and as Vin emptied the box into his hand, he knew this was not going to be good.

Nathan moved to cover the door as the rest of the team stared at the roll of film in Vin's hand.

"You _did_ take it?" Chris asked, not sure what to make of the whole thing. He noticed a trickle of blood starting again under Vin's nose and lifted his chin. "You might need to get that looked at."

Vin frowned and swiped beneath his nose, scowling at the blood that came away on his hand. JD passed him a wad of tissues and he tilted his head forward again, once more applying pressure. He answered Chris's question with a muffled response as he leant on JD's desk. "Ez handed me a packet cos he was sick of my rumblin' stomach. They tasted alright so I grabbed another pack while Roberto was on the phone, but he turned 'round so I shoved 'em in my pocket and forgot about 'em. I had no idea it was anything but candy, until now."

Chris took the film that was still clutched in Vin's hand amongst the nest of tissues and studied it a moment before he looked up at him again. "And you didn't hand this over to the FBI because…?"

"Because somethin' didn't feel right an' you know it."

Chris was silent as he replayed the conversation. Nothing ever felt right when the FBI were involved, but Vin was right, something had definitely felt off. "I'd like to know how they knew about the film in the first place," he admitted.

"There's gotta be more to it. How the hell did they know it was in the packet? How the hell did they know I had it? Who was the guy that jumped me? Was he working with them?" Vin nodded to the film, "There's somethin' serious on there Chris and I'd like to know who besides the FBI wants to get their hands on it."

"It would be good to know exactly what's on there before we hand it over to the wrong person," Chris conceeded. He held Vin's gaze and then looked at Ezra. "Can you take care of this?"

Ezra held out his hand. "Consider it done."

"They'll be watching to see if we try to get it developed," Chris said.

"Understood," Ezra said, moving off to grab his jacket.

"Ezra," Chris said, waiting for the southerner to turn around. He spoke to Buck, "Buck, go with him, take the van, we don't know what's on that thing - and watch your backs."

Chris turned back to Vin. "Seriously, the next time your hungry, for God sakes stop and eat."

Vin smiled up through the tissues. "Don't blame me, Buck's the one ate my breakfast."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**4.00pm **

Chris looked up as Vin entered his office, jacket on over his t-shirt and holding the keys to his bike, a wad of gauze stuck in his right nostril. He saw that he did not look all that steady on his feet, not surprising with the two hard punches he had taken earlier.

"You goin' to get that looked at?" Chris pointed to Vin's nose.

"It's stopped," Vin said.

"For another ten minutes?"

"Gotta go pick up that stick for JD, I rang and they're closin' at five. They're holdin' it 'til I get down there."

"We can send someone to go collect it."

"Hell you know how much I hate that place, but I wanna take a look at it first 'fore I buy it."

Chris sighed and got up. "And you were going to strap it to your bike like a lance?"

Vin grinned, "well no, was gonna see if you'd lend me your car and trade back tonight."

Chris shook his head, of course he was. He didn't mind riding Vin's bike home, but there was no way he was lending his car to the man given his pupils probably weren't even at the moment.

"Alright, let's go."

Vin blinked. "You're comin' with me?"

Chris smiled at Vin's shocked expression. "I'll drive you down there and wait, but that's about it… and only because I don't want to hear you got taken out over a packet of fucking jellybeans and I wasn't there to watch your back."

"Gourmet jellybeans," Vin said, smiling as they left the office.

"Whatever. I can't believe you stole them."

"Hell that place ain't even a shop, just a front for all else they got goin' on in the back room… 'Side's, they're the best damn jellybeans I ever ate."

"Even the black ones?"

Vin's enthusiasm was infectious and Chris smiled as his friend paused by his desk. "Hell that's the thing, there weren't no black ones! These people know how to make a jellybean!"

"Grab the headset, we'll stay in contact, I'm not going in there." Chris told him.

Vin grabbed the radio device they had used that morning and checked that it was working as Chris told Josiah where they were going.

"We'll be back in an hour, God willing… any word from Ezra and Buck?"

Josiah shook his head. "They are still waiting for the film to be developed, I didn't ask where they went."

"Ready?" Chris asked Vin as he moved to join him, seeing that he'd removed the padding from his nose.

"Think I should grab a vest?"

Chris smiled, "A sedative too. I give you five minutes before you need a paper bag over your head in that crowd."

"It's the end of the day, the crowd'll be low by now."

Vin frowned, uneasy as both Chris and Josiah chuckled at his comment.

"Vin," Josiah said as they turned to leave. Chris and Vin both stopped and looked down at the seated man holding out a tissue. Josiah pointed at Vin's nose and Vin once again swiped at it, seeing bright blood on his fingers.

"Sonofabitch," he muttered, taking the tissue even as he felt blood again trickling down the back of his throat.

"We might be a bit longer, we'll get that checked out before he bleeds to death," Chris pointed to Vin's nose.

**4.30pm **

"You feel ok?" Chris said as Vin got out of the car. Reluctantly he added, "maybe I should come with you."

"M'fine, just nervous. No point both of us goin' through hell. I'll just get it and come straight back out. You did enough just bringin' me down here."

Chris watched Vin enter the complex like a man going to his own execution, at least his nose had stopped again. He had been concerned when it had begun to bleed more freely in the car on the way. He didn't envy him in the slightest as he eyed the crowds leaving and entering the mall.

Vin cursed as he remembered anew why he hated shopping malls with a passion and strongly avoided them at all costs. He realised, as he eyed the formidable crowd, that he had been wrong in thinking that going later rather than sooner would be the best approach. He had sorely underestimated the number of shoppers who did not give in until they were forced to leave through gated exits at the end of the day. It was a sickness, he had decided, for what people in their right minds would endure this kind of torture and call it pleasure?

Yep, he thought, as he grunted again with the force of a woman's elbow as she shouldered past him in the opposite direction, a sickness.

"What was that noise?" Vin heard Chris's voice in his ear.

He was sweating, his eyes alert for oncoming danger as he gave up on picking his path and tried to flow with the tide of people. This was his worse nightmare… Another elbow to his ribs and he began to think he was the victim of some conspiracy. "These women are on steroids… Chris, I ain't gonna make it…"

Chris did feel sorry for Vin, but he chuckled at his plight all the same.

"Deep breath's Pard, you can do this." Suddenly he frowned. "Jesus, what's that noise? An alarm?"

Vin winced as the screaming child, trailing behind his apparently unaware mother, moved past him, screaming for her attention, his little face a bright shade of angry red.

"Remind me again why people have kids?"

Chris laughed, he had honestly thought the sound was an alarm but could now hear the sounds of a child wailing after its mother. "You there yet?"

"Reckon I still got a good length ta go… this place is huge. Oh God…"

Vin eyed a double pram heading his way and the steely determination of the mother who was driving it as if behind the wheel of a Mack truck. He narrowly avoided what he believed to be a sure death and ducked into the doorway of the closest shop, taking a moment to catch his breath, not seeing the woman who had been standing behind the door arranging a hanging display of wind chimes as he'd entered.

Johnny Catelino's usual nonplussed attitude was starting to fall apart. The careful expression of calm was starting to crack and melt from his lean face. He had killed men, loads of them, rooms full of them even. He'd dealt with stress and pressure that would have broken a lesser man many a time but never, ever, in his entire thirty-one years, had he faced a situation like this.

As he felt a metal trolley ram into the backs of his ankles Johnny longingly fingered the handle of the gun beneath his shirt. This was insanity. He would kill them all, every last one of them. He would be doing them a favour, he thought. He fought the crowd, which seemed to be moving against him, trying to sweep him up and bury him both at the same time, as he tried to keep up with the wily ATF Agent that was only metres now in front of him. He had nearly missed him when he had left in the car with the other man from the building, but had luckily made him out through the window and followed him to this _Hell Hole on Earth_. If he didn't know better, he would say the Agent knew he was tailing him and had chosen the ultimate place to lose him.

Quickly he moved up behind his target, he nearly had him, only a few more steps to go. He quickened his pace, bodily shoving a woman out of his way and then shoving an old lady to his right. He had him now… He pulled his gun, about to press it into Tanner's back when suddenly he watched the lean body fly sideways into a doorway. Confused, he hesitated a second and then, before he could register the danger, he saw the determined, crazed eyes of a woman on a mission and felt the hard metal of her wide pram collect his shins and send him flying backwards to the floor. Oh God, if he went down here, he would be trampled to death...

Vin looked out the window of the shop he had taken refuge in and caught a glimpse of a man in a black leather jacket going down under the wheels of the pram that he had narrowly avoided colliding with. He winced in sympathy as the woman did not stop and another trolley pelted into the fallen man.

Rhonda paused, her hand still on the chime she had been hanging as she smiled at the gorgeous man who had ducked into her shop as if escaping death. She recognised the signs of mall distress clearly. She also noticed the dark bruise on his jaw and the slight red swelling around the bridge of his nose. Somehow, the marks made him seem all the more attractive, mysterious even. She couldn't remember the last time she had admired a man's jaw, but damned if that wasn't the finest one she had ever seen. Shaven, but with just the right hint of a manish stubble, the dark bruising seemed to highlight its strong line. She flicked a glance at the old woman who was on the other side of the small store, holding the hand of what looked to be her granddaughter before speaking to her potential customer softly.

"Deep breaths, you can do it," she instructed the stranger, looking him over as she continued to arrange the delicate crystals and metal pipes on their thin lines. His olive coloured suit was slightly crumpled but was a wonderful cut on his lean physique, he was obviously a man not shy about staying in shape. Her heart almost stopped at the beautiful smile he gave her in return, his mouth curving into a most kissable grin that reached his amazing blue eyes.

"Vin, what happened?"

Vin ignored Chris and spoke to the pretty shop attendant. "It's crazy out there," he said, eyeing her name tag. She was cute, he thought, her long dark hair pulled in a low tie at the back of her neck, her slender throat curving down into the V of her soft, white shirt.

"It's not so bad, you just have to get into the right mind set," she told him, finishing her arrangement and moving around the counter to join him near the window. She looked out the glass at the busy crowd, "You picked a bad time of the day."

"There's a good time?" He heard her laugh and liked the sound. He turned from the window and looked down at her again. "Don't these people have jobs?" he asked in disbelief, pointing out the glass. He took in the store, spotting the older lady and the young girl on the other side.

Rhonda laughed. "Don't you?" she asked him.

Vin smiled again. "Good point, but these people look like veterans. It's a war zone out there."

She laughed again and Vin continued to smile at her, forgetting for a moment what he was doing in there in the first place.

"Do you know where the sports store is?" he asked her, realising he really didn't have much time.

Rhonda gave him a sympathetic smile. "Right at the other end, I don't think you'll make it, they always close right on time. You'd be quicker to drive and park around the other side."

Vin gave a little growl of frustration. "I give in, the mall beat me."

Rhonda's smile widened again, "Takes a strong man to beat those crowds."

"Takes a super-hero to beat those crowds."

"I have a room out the back if you want to go and put your underwear on the outside and head back out."

Vin laughed then, a rich burst of laughter that she saw sparkling in his startlingly clear eyes, he had not expected that response. She laughed with him a moment before their gazes became slightly uncomfortable and the silence stretched.

Rhonda looked up and caught the old lady smiling at her with a knowing twinkle in her eye. Damn old biddy, she thought, her cheeks heating slightly as she turned away from the man and fiddled with another display.

"_Vin!_ What the _fuck's_ going on? I'm coming in."

"It's ok, just catching my breath."

Rhonda tweaked an eyebrow at the lean stranger and Vin realised he had answered Chris. He took interest in the display she had been arranging. "Wind chimes huh?" he said, for lack of anything better to say.

Rhonda smiled again. "You _are_ observant," she told him.

Vin smiled a little, realising how he had sounded. He looked around the shop a moment, saw the old lady and child smiling at him across the floor and smiled in return. He took in the bright colours and smells and his first thought was that he had walked into a hippy store. Wind chimes, incense, little fairy costumes with wings… A sticker that read "Magic CAN happen." He turned back to the window and saw that the fallen man in the leather coat was gone, just as the door burst open, sending him crashing back into the woman behind him.

Chris heard his cell phone ring and picked it up. "Larabee."

"Chris, it's Nathan. Buck and Ezra are back, you'd better get back here, that film is damn hot. It's pretty obvious why the Senator is involved in this. I'd say he would do pretty much anything to get it back. Is Vin with you?"

Chris scowled, leaving his car to go after Vin. "No, I'll grab him now. You boys hole up there. Call the Judge. I'll be back as soon as I can." He hung up the phone, running now through the car park. "Vin? Tanner where the hell are you? We gotta go - NOW. I'm heading to the entrance, meet me there! Vin!"

Rhonda watched in shock as the two men that seemed to fill her store eyed each other silently, the tall man who had just crashed through the door holding a gun on the leaner man who had entered first. She watched as the second man pulled a black cylinder of metal from his leather jacket and screwed it slowly onto the end of his gun. The smaller man had taken a step forward as he watched this but was held back as the gun was again aimed at him. There was tension here, thick and deadly. She took a step back, not wanting to get in the way of whatever issue these two had and was surprised when the blue eyed stranger turned to her and spoke to her in a soft, calm voice.

"What is this store called?" he asked her quietly.

"Dare to Dream," she almost whispered, flicking a glance at the gunman warily as she continued to back towards her phone.

"Dare to Dream," Vin repeated for Chris's benefit.

"What?" Chris asked, still running and stopping as he reached the entrance. "Dare to Dream? You're in a store?"

"I saw you this morning, in Roberto's." Vin told the tall man, frustrated that he had not had time to pull his own weapon when the door had flown open into him. The man was holding his gun on him dead centre to his chest, giving him little room to go for his holster. He could not afford the gunman to send any wild shots his way as he went for his weapon given that there were three innocent people to think about surrounding him.

Chris's heart froze for a moment and then he was off, sprinting to the information counter he spied up ahead and ripping out his cell phone to call for backup as he ran.

Johnny did not reply. He understood English, but could not speak more than a few words. He pointed to Vin's pockets, indicating he empty them.

Vin knew he was looking for the film and turned his pockets inside out, pulling out the lining inside to show that they were empty. Pulling the material over to cover his gun, he did the same to his inside breast pocket, showing that it, too, was empty. He did not question why the man had not asked for any weapons he may have. He could only assume he had hoped to grab the film and leave quickly, with no fuss. When the gun was pointed to his pants, Vin emptied his side pockets, again revealing nothing but lint.

He turned his head and glanced at the shop attendant and saw that she was almost at the phone. By her unsure movements, it was obvious that that was her goal. He met her eyes and gave a subtle shake that she not do anything stupid, relieved when she stopped moving. He eyed the old lady holding the child's hand, both rooted to the spot, eyes wide with fear.

Johnny cursed inwardly as the agent's pockets were revealed to him empty. Quickly, he turned and locked the door, his gun not wavering and indicated Vin move further inside. He then gestured with the gun for the women to move and sit in the corner, his movements sure as he motioned that the shopkeeper move around the counter and join the two customers on the floor.

"Sedersi," he told them harshly as he pointed to the floor.

Rhonda obeyed, eyeing the handsome man and hoping he knew what he was doing when he had warned her not to go for the phone. She trusted him, she had no idea why, but she did. Still, the other man had a gun and he didn't... and the other man was a lot bigger.

Chris sprinted to the information counter, panting with the effort of barrelling through the crowd at full speed. "Dare to Dream!" He said to the woman behind the desk. "I'm looking for a shop called Dare to Dream?"

The woman pursed her lips and slowly reached for a glossy brochure. "Hmmm… I'm not familiar with that one… can't recall having seen it here before," she said as she flicked casually through the leaflet. "I'm new to this job though, but I've been coming here a long time and I - _Hey!_" she called after the man who had fled after snatching the brochure from her slow moving fingers.

Chris scanned the brochure and could not find the name in the listing.

"Where the fuck are you, Vin? I can't find it! Help me out here!"

"Where is it?" Johnny asked Vin in Italian, still holding his gun steady at the Agent's chest.

"Well it ain't here in the main mall," Vin said, peering out the window and answering Chris as best he could. "Opposite the florist shop." He had understood the Italian's question perfectly. He was not an expert in the language, but he could follow a conversation through every fourth word or so.

Johnny frowned. What the hell was the man talking about? He pointed his gun at the agent's head as the women gasped and the little girl began to cry.

"La pellicola," Johnny struggled with his English, "The pictures, dove è?"

Vin leant back on the counter and crossed his arms. "Ya lookin' fer the cinema? Hell I had enough trouble findin' the sports store. If ya see it while yer out there, can ya grab me a hockey stick, cos I was meant to pick one up and -"

"Silenzio!" Johnny stepped forward, this had been a hard day. First the crowded shopping place and then being run over by that crazy woman. His shins were killing him and now this man was refusing to co-operate. "_Motherfucker,_" he said, holding out his free hand, palm up with the other holding the gun steady, "Pictures."

"Yeah I tend ta pick up the bad words too," Vin told him.

Rhonda frowned, did this man have a death wish? Did he not care that there was a gun inches from his face? She could not see from the floor the cold depths of the blue eyes that never left the gunman's face, the fact that his body was perfectly balanced as he waited for the right moment to take the Italian down.

Seeing that the man was not bothered by the prospect of losing his own life, Johnny switched tactics. He would kill the agent in a blink, but he had to get the film first. He was finding his lack of English a hindrance and was getting frustrated. He swung his gun to aim at the women on the floor and instantly Vin's posture changed. He shifted his stance to cover the women.

"Why don't you aim that thing here?" he said softly, eyes not leaving the gunman.

Johnny looked at the man standing over the women and smiled slightly. If Vin had known the man better, or known about him, he would have been very wary of what that smile meant, for Johnny Catelino rarely smiled and when he did, it did not bode well for those around him.

"OK."

The shot fired silently, making little noise as it thudded into the solid flesh of Vin's thigh. Johnny's smile of satisfaction grew as he watched the agent stagger backwards and stumble into the counter from the impact. A few inches either way and he could have shot one of the women on the ground.

Rhonda screamed as the man stumbled beside her. The shot had made little noise in the small room, thudding into the man who was now clutching the wound tightly.

Vin moved his hand towards his gun, trying to focus through the pain screaming from his leg and stilled his hand as he heard a grunt of warning from the Italian not to move. He watched the tall man move past him and snatch up the now sobbing child from the old lady's arms, his gun still pointing at him the entire time.

Johnny motioned for Vin to move away from the counter that was currently supporting him and he had to bite back a groan as he pushed away from it unsteadily, trying to keep the weight off his wounded left leg as he faced the man now holding the child in front of him. The gunman quickly changed his aim from Vin to the child's head.

"Ok I can see it up ahead," Chris said, running against the people and heading for the shop sign that read "Dare to Dream" hanging above a closed door.

"Wait!" Vin addressed both of them.

Chris frowned and slowed his pace as he reached the store. He'd heard the pain in Vin's voice and now looked within the glass window and saw a tall man in a leather jacket, his back to the entrance. He saw Vin to his left and in front of the counter. He noticed his stiff stance and could see the deadly expression on his face, the way he held himself, as if ready to strike. He turned his head and saw the women on the floor in the far corner to his right.

"There's no need to involve a small child, it's got nothing to do with her! Put her down," Vin said for Chris's benefit, catching sight of him in his peripheral vision outside the window. The child was becoming hysterical, starting to squirm, now over her initial fear and trying to take flight.

Chris heard Vin clearly and looked at the position of the man's arms, he was definitely holding something. He made out a pink shoe dangling down near the man's side and realised he had a little girl in his arms. He pulled his gun slowly, keeping it hidden but ready beneath his jacket.

"Three civilians?" Chris asked.

He saw Vin nod almost imperceptibly.

Rhonda saw the handsome man dressed in black halt outside the window and study the inside of the store, realising he was there to help when he mouthed a question and the injured man nodded slightly in answer. She tapped the old woman who was staring out the window also and whispered to her, "Don't stare at him, you'll give him away." She glanced at the new man again, he looked dangerous, his eyes intense and deadly.

"Ora, o sparo."

Vin shuffled forward at the quiet, threatening words. "No. Relax. I have it, but not here." He motioned out the door for them to leave. "I'll take you to it."

Johnny studied the man's face.

Vin bit the bullet and said in halting Italian, "Come, I will get the film."

Surprised, Johnny frowned. "You have it?" he asked him.

"Yes, but… non qui…" It had been a while and he'd never been particularly good at the language to start with. There were dialects he understood better than others, some closer to the Spanish he knew well, but formal Italian was not his strong suit.

"Dove è?"

They were back to square one.

"In the car… eh…. automobile." He pointed out the door, "Outside."

Again Johnny thought it over. Finally he motioned with his head for Vin to move out before him. He gestured with his gun to the girls head, motioning that he would kill her if Vin tried anything. The girl began to kick, struggling harder to get down and away.

"Leave her here," Vin told him, pointing to the struggling girl and to the other women. He winced as he lost his balance slightly and steadied himself.

Chris's eyes narrowed and he stood on his toes, looking over the display in the window and making out the slick blood running from Vin's thigh, not very noticeable against the dark fabric of his tailored pants.

"You're hit?" he asked, "Motherfucker!"

"Do you _mind?_"

Chris ignored the woman who was pulling her child away from him and throwing him a dirty look, not taking his eyes off the scene inside.

"Leave her here!" Vin insisted again, shuffling his weight again and grimacing, motioning the gunman to put the child down again.

Johnny shook his head, "No".

"Get rid of the kid, Vin. I can't take him with her in his arms…" Chris was ready outside the door, watching every move.

"Leave her here!" Vin said more forcefully. "Lasciarla… qui!" he stammered, grasping for the words to make the man understand, even though he knew the man already knew what he wanted.

"No." Johnny said again, nodding to the door and shifting his arms as the girl continued to cry and struggle. A tiny foot found its way forcefully between his legs and he bent forward slightly, crying out in pain.

Vin took a step forward, one hand pushing back off the counter behind him for support and the other reaching towards his gun, his mind whirling. He had to get the girl out of the way before that door opened. His leg was a blaze of fire and he was sweating hard now. He had to get the child out of the way…

"No!" the man suddenly yelled at Vin, seeing him moving forward. He straightened, still in pain and shook the girl in his arms, hard, to stop her from fighting him. "STOP!" he screamed into her face, his face a terrible mask of rage.

The girl went deathly quiet, her body stopping all movement. Thinking he had scared her enough to make her co-operate, Johnny again motioned to the door for Vin to lead.

Vin took a step towards the door, his leg threatening to buckle as he held Chris's gaze through the glass where he stood, waiting. One more step and he reached the handle.

Chris saw Vin's intense look as he pulled his gun, noticing through the glass the blood that had started from his nose once again.

"Go!" came the demand from Johnny and Vin turned the handle on the door. As he pulled the door inwards he heard a wild scream from behind him and turned.

The little girl had suddenly sprung to life. She had not realised that kicking the man in that place the first time would hurt him so much but she was a fast learner. She kicked out again and again and as the arms slipped in their hold, she threw her body wildly out of his grasp.

Vin spun and dove for the man in a fluid motion, grabbing for the gun in his hands as he shoved the girl aside bodily with his hip, sending her flying out of harms way. The tall man fought hard to retain possession of his weapon, unprepared as he'd been for Vin to spring at him as fast as he had with a bullet lodged in his leg. Vin dodged a kick aimed for his wounded thigh, not relinquishing his hold on the gun still between them.

Chris ran into the store as Vin grappled with the tall man. He raised his gun to the dark head of hair, readying a round into the chamber with an audible click.

Johnny froze, his hands still tense around his gun as he turned his head slightly and recognised the second agent he had followed that day. His eyes met the hard, green glare behind the steadily aimed weapon pointing at his head.

"Drop it you prick," Chris said, his voice low and his face hard.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Johnny weighed his options. He would not go to jail, Armando would see to that. These bastards could wait, they were not going anywhere and he had killed more worthy opponents than them. He relaxed his fingers and Vin took the gun from his hands, aiming it back at him as Chris continued to aim at him also as he moved further into the store.

"Backup's on its way," Chris told Vin. "Check him," he nodded to the now disarmed criminal.

Vin patted the man down while Chris covered him, not finding another weapon on him. He could already see uniformed officers heading towards the store outside, moving as fast as they could through the crowd. He found the gunmen's wallet and took it out, opening it with one hand as he stepped back and raised his own gun again. The identification was all Italian. He read the name on his driver's license and looked back into the cold eyes.

"Giovanni Catelino…" he spoke then to Chris, "looks like little Johnny here is spending his holiday's in America keepin' busy." His eyes narrowed up at the man before him who was looking blankly back at him. They stared at each other for a moment, each promising revenge as the doors opened and the police entered.

Vin turned his head to the women still on the floor. "You ok?" he asked them, still without taking his eyes from Catelino. The man did not appear bothered by the situation in the slightest. He was either too stupid to realise he was about to go to prison, or knew something that they didn't, Vin thought. Looking past the shining scars on the pronounced cheeks and into the cold, almost indifferent eyes, Vin did not believe the man was stupid.

Rhonda nodded in silence in response to Vin's question, then realised he wasn't looking at her. "Yes," she answered him slowly. She stood shakily and moved to the counter to find her medical kit, still shocked that she had seen him shot right before her and that he was still standing. She had never even seen a real gun at close range, let alone seen anyone be shot. She glanced back at the little girl who was now sitting wide-eyed, being rocked in her grandmother's arms on the floor.

"Are you ok, sweetie?" she asked her, stopping a moment as the small, blonde head bobbed once, eyes brimming with tears but not yet overflowing. "And you?" she asked the old lady who smiled up at her and nodded, continuing to comfort the child.

Police officer's entered with the centre's security officers right behind them, all of them, it seemed, by the sheer numbers trooping around. Chris kept his gun still aimed as he informed them who he was. "I'm Captain Larabee, ATF," he said simply, showing his badge with his free hand. He had already called in the situation on his mad dash through the crowd.

Vin dug out his own badge, "Agent Tanner," he said as the officers moved forward to arrest the tall man. Vin still did not look away from the cold eyes of Johnny Catelino.

Rhonda's eyes widened in surprise as she finally found her medical kit. She would never have picked the man for a cop, let alone an ATF Agent. She watched silently as the officers moved towards the unresisting man and handcuffed his hands behind his back, talking to the blonde captain as they worked. She looked beyond them and realised a crowd was gathering outside her store. Publicity was publicity, she thought to herself. It's not the way she would have chosen to get it, but there was little she could do about it now.

Two more officers reached the store to escort the prisoner away. Vin held the cold glare of Johnny Catelino right to the point that the officers turned him and led him out the door.

"Ciao," was the parting word directed to him before they broke eye contact and Vin could have sworn that the man was laughing as he was taken away. There was nothing in his cold, hard face to attest to it, but Vin sensed the man was amused in some way. He knew, somehow, that he would be seeing him again.

As the police and security officers looked to him, Chris directed them to see to the women and the crowd that was building outside. The ambulance officers would need a clear entrance to get to Vin. He finally holstered his gun and moved to Vin, guiding him to an ancient looking rocking chair, noticing that his friend had yet to look away from the parting back of the gunman being led away through the crowd. Blood was now dripping unheeded down his lip from his nose. Chris hesitated as he looked at the chair, wondering if it was structurally sound.

"It'll hold," Rhonda called out from behind the counter as she came back around the counter. "My father built it." She quickly moved to the front of the store and pulled down the blinds that rolled down each window before turning back to the injured man who now sat awkwardly in the low, wooden chair, his wounded leg stretched out before him as the blonde captain looked down to survey the damage.

"This hasn't been your day, Pard," Chris said softly, urging Vin's head forward with a hand to the back of his head. "Pinch," he directed him, referring to his bleeding nose. He looked up at the woman who approached with a medical kit. "Thanks," he told her as she placed it on the ground and began rummaging inside.

"I have some clean towels out back as well," she said getting up again at having seen the amount of blood that was still coming from the wound.

Vin raised his head to watch her go. "Our friend Johnny gave in a bit easy at the end there," he said, his voice sounding nasally through his pinched nose.

"Well he isn't going anywhere just yet," Chris said, taking some scissors from the kit and cutting Vin's pants to reveal the bullet wound. "I take it he was after the film?"

Vin lowered his head and nodded once. "Checked my pockets, asked me where it was. Didn't speak much English. He was in Roberto's store this mornin'."

"Yeah I heard you say that earlier." Chris looked at the officer's talking to the old woman and child. "Why don't you boys take them out of here, get them something to drink while you get her statement?"

Rhonda returned with an armful of towels and stood looking down at Vin, not sure what to do with them. Chris took a long, thin towel from her hands and hung it over Vin's good knee while he examined the wound.

"Oh my God."

Vin looked up at the pale woman clutching towels tightly to her chest.

"Is an ambulance coming?" she asked for lack of anything better to say and wanting to reassure herself that he wasn't going to bleed to death in her store. She held out a clean dishtowel to him and Vin took it, frowning slightly. She pointed to his nose, "For your uh, nose… its bleeding."

Vin smiled and held the material to his face as Chris shoved his head down yet again, before finishing his inspection and applying pressure to the wound.

"Ahhh…" Vin protested, looking up and scowling at the green eyes staring back at him grimly.

The old woman led the child forward as the security guards took them out of the store. She paused at Chris's side, looking from him to Vin.

"Thankyou," she said to Chris gratefully as he looked up at her. She waited for Vin to look up also. "And thank you," she said again to the wounded young man. "That was very brave, you standing in front of us like that… I, we," she nodded to her granddaughter, "… appreciate what you did." She looked at Chris again, "both of you."

Chris nodded as he tied the towel tightly around Vin's leg, hearing his friend hiss in pain as his phone rang in his pocket. He gave Vin's forearm a squeeze of reassurance as he stood and answered the call, moving away to talk.

Vin smiled up at the older woman and took the towel from his face to speak. "Yer welcome, ma'am." He smiled at the little girl whose face was almost at the same height as his, sitting down as he was and saw her smile back hesitantly, "Miss," he nodded again. "You were very brave," he told her sincerely.

The little girl puffed out her chest in pride and then pointed to his leg, looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Ain't nothin'," Vin said to her, still smiling, "He missed the important parts."

A step forward and then a small hand reached up and touched the purple bruise over his jaw.

Rhonda watched the little girl touch the handsome face and her own hand itched. Damn… to be five again and get away with that! The warmth she saw in the blue eyes for the child melted her heart for she knew he was in pain and still gave the little girl attention.

"What happened to your nose?" The girl finally spoke, pointing to the blood that was running down to his lip slowly now.

Rhonda had wondered that herself when he had walked in.

Vin looked up at the young woman, slightly embarrassed by the question before he looked back at the child again giving her a charming grin. "I squashed it."

The girl responded with a giggle. "How?"

Before Vin could answer her grandmother tugged on her arm. "Come on now, let's leave the man alone."

There was a commotion at the door and a security guard came back in, a policeman moving past him.

"Ambulance has pulled in," the security man told them, "We're going to bring them through. You ready ma'am?" he asked the older lady.

"We must go, thank you again, please take care," the lady said, grabbing the reluctant child's hand.

"But -"

"No buts, missy, we need to call your mother. Well, thank you again. I hope everything is alright with your leg," she said to Vin who smiled up at her.

Reminded of her mother the girl smiled and waved at the man and the pretty lady holding all the towels. "Byeeee."

"Bye, sweetie," Rhonda said, smiling as they followed the security guard out the door.

Chris hung up his phone and turned back to Vin. "That was Josiah," he said, crouching again next to Vin's chair, noticing how pale his friend had become over the last minutes now that the immediate danger was over.

Vin was starting to feel light-headed as his adrenaline rush left him. "Everything ok?" he asked, putting an elbow on his knee and dropping his head forward into his hand. He felt Chris's hand on his back.

"They'll meet us at the hospital. They got the film back. Ezra's going to head down here to supervise."

Vin wanted to lift his head to ask what was on it but thought he might suddenly throw up if he moved. Damned leg had bled more than he'd thought. Either that or his nose... He concentrated on his breathing.

"Vin?"

Vin grunted in answer, unable to give more of a response. He felt the reassuring hand on his back and concentrated on that as Rhonda spoke.

"Is he alright?"

Chris felt Vin's wrist, felt the rapid pulse. He turned to a police officer who was standing by. "Make sure that ambulance gets straight through," he told him and the man moved off out the door. "He'll be all right once we get him lying flat and to the hospital," he told the concerned woman.

"Do you want anymore of these?" she asked the blonde man, holding out the bundle of towels in her arms.

Chris grinned at her, "No, thank you. I think this will hold 'til they can get at it."

The door opened again and a security guard held the door for the ambulance officers to enter. Chris nodded to the attendants and stood to give them access to his injured friend. He read the concern and worry in the woman's face.

"He'll be alright," he reassured her again.

Rhonda looked at him, curious at his calm acceptance of the situation. "This happen often?" she asked him.

Chris scowled a little as he watched the men get Vin up and onto the stretcher. "Often enough."

Vin stumbled as they guided him, weaker than he had anticipated and feeling his stomach roll. He gave a low groan with the pain of the movement as they helped him to lie flat.

"You're ok, just lie still now and let us do the work. Just relax. You feeling sick?"

Vin nodded weekly, his eyes now shut to the light. He wanted to say goodbye to the woman again, but could no longer form the words.

"Alright, won't be for much longer, just rest now, relax. You hurt anywhere else apart form your leg?" The officer asked Vin but looked up at Chris for confirmation.

"No, although he was hit in the nose earlier today and it hasn't stopped bleeding, he was going to see someone about it."

The officer nodded. "Ok, we'll get it checked out. You coming with us?"

Chris nodded, turning to the police officer and then looking at the woman again. "This officer will look after you, he'll want you to go through what happened with him."

Rhonda nodded. "Thankyou, I'll…" she looked hesitant.

"I'll let you know how it goes," Chris assured her, seeing the question in her gaze as she looked at Vin.

Rhonda smiled at him gratefully. Two gorgeous men in her store in the one day, it doesn't rain but it pours, she thought with a smile to herself as she watched them leave.

**10.00pm **

Chris listened as Vin groaned softly on the hospital bed, waking up from the surgery to remove the bullet from his leg. They had cauterised the burst vessels in his nose to stop the bleeding as well. He waited patiently as Vin blinked, adjusting to the dim room, getting his bearings.

"Hey, Pard."

Vin turned his head to the sound of the familiar voice, blinking again, focusing slowly on Chris's face. The room swam around his eyes and he waited, listening, absorbing, his brain stimulated by the soft noises and light.

Finally, Chris saw the blue eyes gain some clarity and smiled. "Welcome back."

Vin smiled slightly. "Hospital?" was the raw question.

Chris nodded, "Yep."

Vin closed his eyes again. "Thought so…"

As he watched him drift off again Chris smiled, leaning back in his chair, thankful that the trouble-hungry Texan had made it through another ordeal.

**11am, Saturday **

Vin smiled as he sat on top of the hospital bed, signing the clipboard the nurse had handed him. He was out of here, one day down and proud of it. He was sentenced to time and rest at Chris's ranch, but out of the hospital in time for JD's barbecue. He was going to miss the hockey game, but he could live with that. Chris would be back any minute to pick him up.

"Mind if I come in?"

He looked up as the woman from the store, Rhonda he remembered from her nametag, entered his room hesitantly.

"Please" he invited.

She came in and stood by the bed as the nurse left. "You leaving already?" She looked him over seeing that he was fully dressed and had his boots on. He looked pale but refreshed sitting on top of the made bed with his hair still slightly wet from the shower. His faded jeans and fitted long sleeved top looked casual but suited him. She had thought he'd looked good in the suit but damned if the jeans weren't a good fit!

Vin nodded to her. "Yep, can't take the food." His face grew serious. "I'm sorry about yesterday, if I'd known he was behind me…"

"No, it wasn't your fault." She smiled at him shyly and looked down a moment, "Besides, it was the most exciting thing that's happened in there since I opened it last year."

Vin grinned in response to her honesty. He noticed the package in her arms and she followed his gaze down.

"Oh, this is for you. I remembered it this morning when I was cleaning up and thought of you." She handed the small package over.

Vin untied the string and peeled back the paper, smiling as he saw the little stone statue inside. He grinned up at her. "Thankyou."

She grinned back, "my pleasure."

**4.00pm **

Vin heard the cars pulling in the drive and opened his eyes. He'd fallen asleep on Chris's couch the minute they'd arrived.

"Looks like they won," Chris said, seeing Vin was awake as he headed toward the window.

Vin sat up higher against the armrest, wincing as his leg protested the movement. "They'd better have, we needed to win that one."

Chris looked back at Vin as footsteps thundered up the walk. "Sure you're up to this?" he asked him. He had walked in on Vin asleep earlier and thanked God again that the bullet had not done more damage. He remembered again the feeling as he had first realised that Vin was in trouble in the store and that he might not be able to get to him in time to help him. He saw again the blood that had stained his leg when he had realised he's been shot. He was happy beyond words that Vin was able to sit up and talk to him right now. Too often in their line of work Chris was reminded how mortal they all were.

Vin saw the thoughtful expression on Chris's face and nodded. "Bring it on," he said, smiling.

**6.00pm**

"What the hell is this thing?"

Vin was dozing again when he heard Buck's voice. They had started drinking the second they had arrived and were getting louder by the minute. Vin didn't mind though, he felt lazy and relaxed from the painkillers and the noise took his mind off his leg and the fact that it would take months to heal. He opened his eyes and saw Buck holding the statue Rhonda had given him in his hand. He smiled as Buck came over to him and held it out.

"Vin, what the fuck is this?"

"Buck," Chris said, "Let him sleep."

"He's awake, Chris," Buck protested.

"Yeah, now."

"Vin? What's with the dog?"

Vin eyed the small stone that was carved into the shape of a wolf and smiled. The wolf had an injured leg and was resting a head on it. "The only good thing to come out of yesterday," he told his friend. He was secretly grateful it hadn't been some kind of winged fairy given the type of stuff in the woman's shop. He'd never live that one down if the boys saw it.

Buck looked up, confused, to Chris who just smiled at him. He had gotten back to the hospital that morning to pick Vin up to find his best friend grinning from ear to ear. He was already planning his first date with the pretty shop owner as they left the hospital.

"Maybe it was fate," Vin had told him on the way home. "Buck was s'posed to eat my breakfast, Ezra was s'posed to steal them jellybeans, I was s'posed to go to the store and get shot, all to meet that woman."

Chris had laughed as he'd driven. "Right… How about the woman that nearly knocked you over again?"

Vin had smiled then, remembering the other pretty woman in the red car. "Hell maybe that was fate, too?"

"Whoa there, Pard, you're starting to sound like Buck," Chris had laughed. "How about next time you just eat breakfast like a normal person and go to a bar instead to meet some women?"

Vin had grinned then. "Hell no Chris, now where would be the fun in that? Side's, I already got them pittyin' me, indebted to me… half my works done already."

Chris had laughed again, "Ok that's it, now you're scaring me. I'm moving you and Buck to separate offices."

After a short silence Vin had spoken to him in a serious voice. "Thanks, Chris, for runnin' in there. Still not sure how it would have gone down otherwise."

Chris had just given him a small smile, "Just doin' my job, Vin," but Vin could see he had appreciated the words all the same.

Chris smiled again at Buck's still confused face as JD entered the room from the porch.

"Hey kid," Vin said to the birthday boy.

"Hey Vin, you feelin' ok?"

"Feelin' great. Sorry I didn't pick up your present yesterday."

JD smiled. "Jesus Vin, it's not like you didn't put any effort in, I appreciate that."

Vin nodded, "I'll get it next week."

Josiah and Nathan entered then, Ezra right behind them.

"He's awake?" Josiah said, looking down at Vin on the couch. "How you doin' Vin?" It hadn't been the same with Vin asleep most of the time since they had arrived.

Vin smiled again at the question. "Fine, J'siah."

Chris smiled at the sound of the drawl that was always more pronounced and lazy when Vin was tired.

Vin thought of something then. "So, what _was_ on that film anyway?" with all that had gone on, he had not remembered to ask.

He saw Josiah cringe and look away. As he looked at each of his friend's they all looked uncomfortable.

"Lets just say, the senator will be announcing his sudden retirement come Monday morning."

Vin looked at Ezra, "He up to no good?"

"I'd say sex with minor's constitutes up to no good."

Vin shook his head, "Sonofabitch…" He was thoughtful a moment. "And Johnny Catelino, any more on him?"

"Not yet," Chris told him. "But the investigation has already begun today into the Senator and how he was linked to the Giorgi family."

Vin nodded at that. He knew it would be some time before any of them faced punishment for their crimes and also knew he would be following the progress of the case closely. It was his job to make sure he gave as solid a case as he could to the courts.

"Hey Vin, I got a present for you, too," Buck said, smiling as he left the room. He returned a moment later and held out his hand.

Vin eyed the chocolate bar offering, complete with a bow tied around it and grinned. "Bit late fer that, don't ya think?"

Buck tossed it at Vin. Keep it in your pocket for the next time you get hungry and decide to shoplift."

"Wasn't me, was Ezra," Vin protested.

Ezra stepped forward. "I dispute that. It was not stealing, it was a public duty I had to perform, Mr Tanner's stomach was disturbing the peace... and it was you, Mr Tanner who greedily took the second box, which was the tainted one."

Chris smiled at the six men sprawled around his lounge room. He caught Vin grinning at him from the couch, he could see the laughter in his friend's eyes as he listened to the bantering that flowed about him. He was just glad there would be a next time, whatever mayhem that might bring.

Fini.


End file.
